Charles e



I (NoModelL) G. E. SORIBNER'.

SELEGTIYE SIGNAL. I V

Patented Dec. 29, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

CHARLES E. SCRIBNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE \VESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

S ELECTIVE SIG NAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,223, dated December 29, 1896. Application filed August 23, 1895. Serial No. 560,208. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: net. The ratchet is carried upon another Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. SCRIBNER, pivoted lever parallel with the pawl-lever a citizen of the United States, residing at Chiand is connected with the latter lever by a cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illitransverse link. The ratchet rests normally 55 5 nois, have invented a certain new and useful in engagement with the ratchet-wheel, the Improvement in Selective Signals, (Case No. pawl being withdrawn from the wheel. 400,) of which the following is a full, clear, Under the action of the electromagnet the concise, and exact description, reference bepawl is first advanced to enter between two ing had to the accompanying drawings, formteeth of the Wheel and isthen moved later- 60 I ing a part of this specification. ally to advance the wheel, the ratchet being My invention concerns the mechanism of simultaneously withdrawn from engagement selective signals. It applies particularly to with the wheel. In the recession of the arthose selective signals in which commutators mature-lever, the ratchet again engages the or switches are advanced simultaneously ratchet-wheel, while the pawl still registers 65 I through successive steps until a particular with the wheel, and the pawl is finally withswitch at the substation which it is desired to drawn. There is thus no moment during the bring into circuit has reached its proper posioperation of the device in which either the tion. The primary feature of my invention ratchetor the pawl is not present between is a new motor device for the commutator or two teeth of the ratchet-wheel. Theirregular 7c switch, which aims to prevent irregular acadvance or the retrogression of the wheel is tion or failure in operation. A secondaryfeathus rendered impossible. The ratchet-wheel ture is a busy-indicator, to show at any may be fixed to or connected with any usual substation whether the common line be free form of commutatoras, for example, a rofor use. Those forms of ratchet or step-bytating disk carrying on its periphery a con- 75 step movement which have been employed in tact-point which shall effect at some point of mechanism of this character have been subits revolution the necessary circuit connecject to various irregularities of action, among tion for signaling the station. which themost troublesome was the failure A second feature of my invent-ion, the of the ratchets or pawlsto engage the ratchetbusy-indicator, consists in a target or indi- 80 wheel, which might permit the wheel either cator carried by the rotating commutator, to remain unmoved or to escape from control which is visible only during the normal or and rotate too far forward or backward. In idle position of the apparatus, and which, by either event the difierent ratchet-wheels of its disappearance, indicates at each of the the series would lose their consonance of party substations that the line is already in 85 movement. use.

In my invention I provide means for im- My invention is shown in the accompanying parting to the pawl which actuates the ratchetdrawings. wheel both a longitudinal and a transverse In the drawings, Figure 1 represents the movement, by which it is caused, first,to enter essential elements of the motor mechanism. 90 40 between two teeth of the ratchet-wheel and Fig. 2 shows the same parts in connection then to thrust the wheel forward, and in comwith the commutator and the signal. Fig. 3 is bination with this pawl I use a retaininga diagram illustrating the connection of these ratchet which is adapted to be withdrawn instruments on a line-circuit. from engagement with the wheel only during Referring to Fig. 1, the essential parts of 5 the transverse movement of the pawl. In the my improved motor device are the ratchetcomplete device the pawl is carriedat the exwheel a, the pawl b, and the lever c, which cartremity of a lever which is journaled in one ries it, ratchet d, alever e, carrying the latter, end of a link whose other extremity is pivoted and the link f. The pawl-lever c is pivoted on a fixed point, the lever being arranged to one end of a'link or arm g, which is car- I00 nearly radially to the wheel. This lever may ried at its other extremity on a fixed pivot g. carry the armature of the motor-electromag- The ratchet-lever e is pivoted at its extremity 0. Lever c carries the armature h of motormagnet 1' and is acted upon by an adjustable retractile spring 7;. Spring 7i: is arranged to exert its attraction on lever c in an oblique direction, pulling strongly away from the magnet, and at the same time much more feebly in a longitudinal direction on the lever 0. Normally the ratchet (l rests in engage ment with the ratcl1etwheel a. \Vhen mag net 17 is excited, its attraction on armature h first moves the latter in a direction parallel to the lever 0, since the force of springk is more feebly exerted in opposition to such movement. The pawl l) is by this movement thrust between two teeth of wheel a. The lever c in this movement swings freely on the linksfand g, and hence does not disengage ratchet cl from the wheel. \Vhen this longitudinal movement of the lever has taken place through a certain range, the downward pull of the magnet i on its armature h becomes more effective. The lever c is then rocked on its pivot in link g, wherebyatransverse movement is communicated through link f, which raises the ratchet (Z away from the wheel a. At the same time the pawl I), being in engagement with wheel (it, moves upward and thrusts the wheel forward through a predetermined amount. The range of this advance may be limited by suitable stops, as Z, to one division or tooth of the ratchet-wheel.

\Vhen the magnet 'L' becomes inert, spring 7t; retracts the lever c in an oblique direction. The first movement of the mechanism brings the ratchet (1 again into engagement with the wheel, after which the pawl l) is withdrawn from its engagement with the wheel. It is obviously impossible for the wheel a to move forward more than the predetermined amount, since during its forward movement the pawl l) is positively thrust between two teeth of the wheel. It is equally impossible for the wheel to execute any backward movement, since at all times either pawl Z) or ratchet d is in engagement with it.

In Fig. 2 the same mechanism is shown in connection with a disk m, which is mounted upon the spindle with ratchet-wheel o. A contact'spring'n is placed near the disk in position to touch a pin m, which is carried on the periphery of the disk. The pins m are placed in different positions on the disks of the selcctive signals at different substations, being distributed aboutthe peri, heries of the disks at points corresponding to the steps or teeth of the ratchet-wheel in a well-known manner.

Disk m has painted on it a colored spot 0, which when the apparatus is idle appears behind an opening or window in a fixed screen 17, which may, if desired, be the case of the instrun'ient. Any movement of the disks for the purpose of transmitting a selective signal will cause the disappearance of the spot 0, and the hiding of this spot will be taken as indicating that the line is in use.

Fig. 3 represents a telephone-line 1, which extends from a central station .A to two party substations l3 and 0. Each of the substations is equipped with a selective signal q of the character described, a telephone-set r, a signal-bell s, and a telephone-switch t. The spring a of the selective signal is connected with line conductor 1. The pin 772', through the disk on, is connected by conductor 2 to earth through the hell 3. The magnet 'i of the selective signal is arranged in a branch 3 from the line conductor, which is controlled by the telephone-switch 25 being closed while the recciving-telephonc rests on the switch. The telephone instruments '2' are placed in a branch 4, which is closed to line conductor 1 in alternation with the branch 3. The pin 'm at station E is placed one space or tooth away from contact-spring n, so that a single pulsation of current will bring it into contact with the spring. The corresponding pin at station C is placed two spaces from spring a, so that two pulsations of current will be required to bring it into connection with the spring.

At the central station the operator is furnished with a commutator or contact-making wheel u, which has on its periphery as many contact-segments adapted to engage with a spring a as there are teeth on the ratchetwheels of the selective instruments. The wheel uand contact-spring u are in a ground branch 5 from line conductor 1, including a battery 4;. The operator is also furnished with a generator 10 of signaling-current and a key 0:, by means of which the generator may be connected with the line-eircuit.

Vhen the operator wishes to signal a particular stat-ion B or (J, she may turn the wheel a to transmit the necessary number of pulsations of current to bring the pin m at the desired station into contact with the spring '11. Then depressing the key 00 and operating the generator to she may ring the bell s at that station, the circuit 2 through that bell being then completed.

In order to reset the different selective instruments to their normal positions, the wheel a may be turned through the complementary portion of its revolution, during which move ment it will transmit enough pulsations of current to bring all the ratchet-wheels around to their initial positions. v

The mechanical movement or motor device which constitutes the principal feature of my invention is of course not limited to use for selective signaling and may be operated otherwise than by an electromagnet. The oblique or successive longitudinal and transverse movement of leverc may be obtained in many other ways, which maybe readily adapted for any particular purpose.

I claim, broadly, as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a selective signal, the combination with a ratchet-wheel and an electromagnetic device adapted to advance the said wheel through successive stages in response to pulsations of current, a contact-point moving with said ratchet-wheel, circuit connections adapted to be closed when said contact-point a detent, and a link connecting said detent' and pawl adapted to cause the detent to be disengaged from the ratchet wheel during the transverse movement of the pawl, as described.

3. In combination, a ratchet-wheel, a lever and a pawl carried thereby, a second end-pivoted lever parallel with the first lever, and a detent carried thereby normally engaging the ratchet-wheel, a link connecting the levers, and means for imparting to the pawl-lever successively a forward movement radially to the ratchet-wheel and a transverse movement, as described.

4. In combination, a ratchet-wheel, a lever c and a pawl carried thereby, a link g at one end of which saidpawl is pivoted, a lever e pivoted at one extremity a detent engaging the ratchet-wheel carried at the other extremity of said lever e, a link f connecting, the levers, an armature carried by lever c, and an electromagnet adapted to exert its attraction obliquely upon its armature to effect a forward and a transverse movement of the armature, as described.

5. In combination, a ratchet-wheel, a lever free to move longitudinally and transversely, and a pawl carried by the lever a detent, and a link connecting the detent with the pawl, a spring adapted to oppose the transverse movement of the lever more than its longitudinal movement, and a motor device for movingthe lever, as described.

6. In combination, a ratchet-wheel, a lever pivoted to one extremity of a pivoted link, a pawl carried by the lever adapted to engage the ratchet-wheel, an end-pivoted lever parallel therewith, and a detent engaging the ratchet-wheel carried thereon, a link connecting the pawl with the detent, an armature on the pawl-lever, an electromagnet adapted to act obliquely upon the armature to produce a forward and transverse movemen t of the pawl, a switch-contact operated by the ratchetwhee1,and a station-circuit including any suitable electrical instruments controlled by the switch-contact, as described.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 12th day of July, A. D. 1895.

CHARLES E. SORIBNER.

Witnesses:

ELLA EDLER, MYRTA F. GREEN. 

